Alabama Crimson Tide vs South Carolina Gamecocks Prediction, 1/8/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Alabama Crimson Tide vs South Carolina Gamecocks

Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Location: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC

TV: ESPN+

The South Carolina Gamecocks (10-4) host the Alabama Crimson Tide (12-2) at Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday.

The Alabama Crimson Tide faced Oklahoma and walked away with a win by a score of 107-79 in their last game. In the matter of fouls, the Crimson Tide left the arena with 16 and Oklahoma totaled 23 fouls. They also buried 5 out of their 19 attempts from 3-point land. Oklahoma walked away from this one shooting 62.5% from the free throw line by converting 10 of 16 shots. Moreover, Oklahoma totaled 24 boards (7 offensive, 17 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Oklahoma earned 10 assists and had 7 steals in the game. Concerning defense, Alabama allowed the other team to go 47.8% from the floor on 32 of 67 shooting. They also doled out 20 assists in this contest while forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and earning 9 steals. When it comes to hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 46 with 20 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Crimson Tide made 22 of 30 tries for a rate of 73.3%. Alabama walked away from the game with a 50.0% field goal percentage (38 out of 76) and buried 9 out of their 29 shots from beyond the arc.

Mark Sears is one guy who was a major factor in this contest. He ended up scoring 22 points on 5 of 13 shooting. He played for 32 mins and also snagged 4 rebounds. He went 38.5% from the floor and totaled 10 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

Alabama heads into this one with a win-loss mark of 12-2 this season. They turn the ball over 12.5 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 17.7 fouls every game. As a unit, Alabama is collecting 45.5 rebounds per game and has totaled 242 dimes so far this year, which ranks 68th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Crimson Tide are connecting on 31.6% on 3-point shots (144 of 456) and 70.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 91.1 points per outing (1st in D-1) while hitting 47.3% from the field.

Defensively, the Crimson Tide are forcing their opponents into 10.9 turnovers per game while drawing 21.0 personal fouls. They are surrendering 29.0% on three-point shots while they are 319th in D-1 in opponents points per game (77.4). The Crimson Tide defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 40.8% (389 of 953) and they surrender 36.3 rebounds per game as a team. They currently rank 39th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 155 conceded so far this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the South Carolina Gamecocks walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 85-50 when they played Mississippi State. When it comes to cleaning up the glass, South Carolina allowed Mississippi State to collect 40 overall (8 offensive). They went 32.0% from distance by shooting 8 out of 25 and ended up shooting 7 out of 9 from the free throw line (77.8%). The Gamecocks allowed Mississippi State to make 35 out of their 62 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 56.5% for the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Gamecocks shot 16 out of 55 from the field which gave them a percentage of 29.1%. When discussing 3-point shots, South Carolina converted 2 out of 19 attempts (10.5%). They were able to make 16 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 69.6%. Mississippi State earned 18 fouls in the game which got the Gamecocks to the free throw line for a total of 23 tries. They gave up possession 14 times, while getting 5 steals in this game. The Gamecocks were able to pull down 20 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 27 in this matchup.

Zachary Davis was important for the Gamecocks for this contest. He converted 6 of 13 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 46.2%, and accounted for 3 rebounds. He accumulated 22 points in his 24 minutes of playing time, but went home with no dimes.

South Carolina has a mark of 10-4 for the year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Gamecocks are shooting 44.6% from the field, which is 213th in the country. South Carolina has accounted for 1,033 pts this year (73.8 per contest) and they collect 36.5 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.1 times per contest (176th in college) and they turn it over 11.4 times per game. The Gamecocks have committed 15.6 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 69.2% from the free throw line.

The South Carolina defense gives up 31.5% on shots from 3-point land (81 of 257) and their opposition knocks down 68.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 10.6 assists and 33.2 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 35th and 130th in those defensive categories. The Gamecocks on the defensive side of the court are 77th in college hoops in PPG given up with 67.0. They are forcing 10.6 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.3% from the field (139th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Alabama

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here